Fire service recreates John Lewis Christmas advert with adorable brigade dog Woodie to spread important message

County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service (CDDFRS) have given the retailer a run for its money with its own version of their Christmas advert in a bid to raise awareness of the need to regularly test smoke alarms in the home.

The emotive video follows a similar story line to that of the John Lewis ‘Excitable Edgar’ advert – which this year sees a dragon cause chaos in a small village with its excitable fire breathing.

The story shows how the dragon manages to befriend residents when he shows that his fire breathing can be a useful skill when it comes to toasting a Christmas pudding.

And the fire service has produced an imaginative take on the story which shows how their fire dog Woodie enjoys getting into mischief around the station, getting him into trouble with firefighters.

But the when he’s given his own fire helmet he seems to finally feel that he belongs and turns around his cheeky ways to the joy of the crew.

The station uses the same song as that of the original advert – Can't Fight This Feeling by Bastille and stars Woodie’s handler Colin and the firefighters from the Green Watch in Spennymoor.

It finishes with the important message: ‘Show someone you care – make sure you have a working smoke alarm this Christmas.’

Sharing it on Facebook, the fire service said: “It is our pleasure to introduce to you our parody of the John Lewis & Partners Christmas advert featuring CDDFRS Fire Dog Woodie and his handler Colin and Green Watch, Spennymoor.

“We hope you all have a great Christmas and show someone you care by visiting your family and friends and make sure they have working smoke alarms.”

And the advert has attracted a huge response online with 39,000 likes, 22,000 comments and 50,000 shares.

Facebook user Rachael Floyd said: “The best Christmas advert I’ve seen this year! Well done Woodie, Colin and Green Watch, a fantastic way to get your message across.”